Screen size is the length of the display measured diagonally in inches. Common TV screen sizes are 24 inches (24”), 32 inches (32”), 43 inches (43”), 50 inches (50”), 55 inches (55”), 65 inches (60”), 70 inches (70”), and 75 inches (75”).

Small screens are usually satisfactory for small rooms with limited space or the television is at close range.

Similarly, larger screens are preferable for large rooms or viewers watching at a distance.

However, the screen size's ultimate determinant is the TV's cost and the buyer’s budget.

Another factor to consider when choosing a TV screen size is that larger screens usually have higher power ratings, and running the television could be expensive in terms of power bills.

Additionally, larger screens are more vulnerable to accidental dropping and burglars like them because they fetch a higher price in the market.

A TV screen comprises of small dots called pixels that light up to create a picture. The more concentrated the dots are, the clearer the picture.

Also called “Dots per Inch” (DPI), screen resolution is the number of pixels per square inch of the screen.

Just like finding the area of a rectangle, the resolution is found by multiplying the number of pixels horizontally by the number of pixels vertically. 

Usually, the lower side is used in categorization. For example, 1280x720 is usually written as 720p. 

Similarly, since the base of 2 is used in bit calculations, we use multiples of 1024 instead of 1,000 when calculating resolutions.

The following are screen resolutions:

Standard Definition (SD) resolution (480 pixels x 640 pixels) – screen resolutions less than or equal to 480x640 pixels.

High Definition (HD) resolution (1280 pixels x 720 pixels) – measures 1280x720, also written as 720p. However, it comes in other flavors, such as 1366x768, which is an extension of the standard HD resolution.

Full HD resolution (1920x1080) – is the most common resolution at 1920 pixels x1080 pixels. It has clearer images and is considered the standard display for modern devices.

Ultra HD resolution (2K, 4K, 6K, 8K, 12K) – the letter ‘K’ denotes the number of multiplication.

2K resolution (2,048 pixels x 1,080 pixels) has the same number of pixels vertically as Full HD but twice the number of resolutions horizontally.

Given its dimensions, 2K resolution is well suited for ultra-wide, narrow, and tall-wide monitors instead of living room television screens.

4K resolution (3840 pixels x 2160 pixels) – is what most people call UHD. 4K is the most common UHD resolution supported by high-end TV brands such as Samsung, Sony, and LG, and even budget brands such as Vitron, Vision Plus, TCL, Hisense, and others.

4K has become widely supported even on streaming platforms such as YouTube. You can comfortably watch 4K with internet speeds of about 15MBPs. 

8K resolution (7680x4320  pixels) – twice clearer than 4K resolution but still not widely available. 8K content is very rare, but this is slowly changing.

Others, like 12K resolution (12288 x 6480 pixels), are also widely unsupported, and true 12K content is almost inexistent.

Measured in Hertz (Hz), the screen refresh rate is the rate at which a display redraws an image on the screen. Screens with higher refresh rates can display moving objects very smoothly. Contrarily, lower refresh rates result in flickering, which causes eye strain.

Most common screens support 60Hz, which is adequate for normal viewing. Other common refresh rates are 30Hz, 40Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, 165Hz, and 240Hz.

The proliferation of the internet has enabled people to access entertainment online.

Traditionally, people have always accessed online entertainment through laptop computers and smartphones. 

However, the small screens do not provide a satisfactory viewing experience. Subsequently, most people would like to access the same content on a larger television screen. 

A smart TV can replicate smartphone features and allow owners to install and run entertainment apps such as YouTube, TikTok, Plex, and Netflix, among others.

A Smart TV allows you to cast your phone or laptop, access media on secondary devices, and watch the content on the larger television screen.

Your device should run a smart TV OS (operating system) such as Android TV, Google TV, WebOS, Samsung’s TinzenOS, Roku TV, Fire TV, and Apple’s tvOS, among others, to access online entertainment.

Additionally, it should have enough storage to store apps and multimedia content and enough RAM to run the apps. A smart television with anything from 2 GB RAM and 32GB storage should give a satisfactory viewing experience.

You can also convert an ordinary digital television into a smart device using an Android TV box if the TV has HDMI ports.

Additionally, it should have an internet connection interface such as WiFi capabilities, Ethernet ports, and Bluetooth. However, if the device has USB ports, you can connect WiFi and Bluetooth dongles to access this functionality.

Connection ports allow you to connect various devices, such as USB devices, Smart TV boxes, laptops, game consoles, and DVD players, to your television.

Similarly, if your television set has a VGA port, you can use it as a monitor, saving you the cost of buying a monitor and TV separately.

Common connection ports on modern televisions include USB, HDMI, VGA, audio and video jack, and the headphone jack. 

A television with quality speakers improves the movie viewing experience. Poor audio quality could cause fatigue and could even affect your hearing. It could also force you to buy an external audio device, such as a subwoofer.

Most modern TVs support advanced audio technologies that improve the listening experience, such as Dolby surround sound, allowing you to recreate the cinema experience. Others have bigger speakers or inbuilt subwoofers. 

When buying a television, you should check whether a certain brand offers these features out of the box to get better value for your money. 

Mounting your television on the wall reduces clutter in your living space, enhances the TV’s safety and that of the occupants, and creates a convenient viewing angle.

When buying a TV, ensure it is compatible with standard wall brackets to avoid frustrations. 

Additionally, the mounting design affects the safety and stability of your television and could lead to accidents.

Energy efficiency is the ensure to produce the same result using less power.

While energy-efficient appliances may be costly, less energy consumption reduces running costs in the long run.

Additionally, climate change caused by energy consumption poses an existential threat to humans on the planet.

To know if an appliance is energy efficient, check the appliance’s power rating, which is usually indicated at the back of or on the power adapter.

Power consumption is usually indicated in Watts. On average, a TV consumes 60 watts, which is the average for most appliances like laptops. 

However, the TVs’ power rating ranges from 15 watts for the most energy-efficient 19-inch screen to 120 for most 75-inch sets.

However, energy consumption is usually calculated using kilowatts per hour (Kwh), commonly known as “units.”

Therefore, one unit (kilowatt) represents 1,000 watts. 

To calculate how much power a TV or any other appliance consumes, divide the power ratings by 1,000  and multiply by the number of hours.

For example, if you watch a 60-watt TV for 10 hours, your total consumption will be:

(60 watts x 10 hours)/1000 = 0.6 Kw or 0.6 units.

If you watch a 200-watt TV for 10 hours, the total consumption will be:

(200 watts x 10 hours)/1000 = 2 Kw or 2 Units.

An Energy Star certification indicates that the TV is power-optimized, but you should always confirm the power rating before.

Being one of the most popular appliances in the market, television prices in Kenya remain relatively high.

While everybody aspires to own a TV with the best features, budget constraints limit what we can afford.

Therefore, you might need to sacrifice the TV’s screen size, resolution, smart features, or even brand name to afford one.

One way to overcome budget constraints is by choosing generic brands over flagship TVs, buying an HD or Full HD instead of a UHD, and choosing a digital TV over a smart TV.

If you are tight on budget and leave your TV running for a long, especially at a small business, you should also consider the power consumption.

While a bigger TV might be more appealing, its running costs could translate to tens of thousands annually.